Identica takes on rainforest challenge

Identica has created a campaign that aims to highlight the role the rainforest plays in tackling climate change to governments as well as the general public.

Working for the charity The Rainforest Foundation, the pro bono campaign is based on the theme of ‘hot and bothered’.

Senior designer Hamish Campbell and his three-strong team have created a bespoke typeface for the identity, as well as all marketing collateral.

Their designs, which feature a bright colour palette ‘to reflect the hues of the tropical rainforest’, are being applied to flyers, buttons, banners, an appeal microsite, stickers, badges and T-shirts.

Campbell says, ‘We created promotional fans to keep with the notion of keeping cool’.

According to Campbell, one of the consultancy’s main challenges was ‘hitting the right balance between having fun with the work and getting a serious point across’.

The brief for Identica was to design a campaign that calls on the public to recognise the role rainforests play in reducing carbon emissions and demands that bigger steps be taken here in the UK.

Campbell adds, ‘Another challenge was designing a campaign that can be applied to climate change now but may be adapted at a later date for other issues, hence the concept of “hot and bothered”, because people can become passionate about many of the concerns the charity deals with’.

RFUK director Simon Counsell says, ‘We want to get the public on board, but recognise that this is about governments and we want to use the campaign to put pressure on world leaders and policy-makers.’

Identica has been working with RFUK since 2006, when it created design for a charity fashion event at Claridge’s hotel and continued the relationship by refreshing the brand in 2007.